Now, remember we are talking about the city of Detroit, not the metro area, which contains some of the nicest suburbs in the Country.

There's a city election for mayor of Detroit next month...and really who would want the job.

Some great stats about the city:

Detroit's auditor general said Thursday that the city's finances are in worse shape than Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has led residents to believe.

The City of Detroit has to find at least $187 million in savings as soon as possible to avoid running out of money. Here are Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plans to come up with most of that.

The mayor's latest cuts

•Laying off 71 workers in other departments.
•Reducing the hours of operation in city recreation centers.
•Eliminating bulk trash pickup altogether at the end of the year.
•Gutting the Information Technology Department.
•Negotiating a deal with the Detroit Windsor Tunnel operators that could save $20 million.
Estimated savings: $47 million.

What he wants from unions

Kilpatrick said unions must agree to savings including:

•$15 million in savings from pension payments.
•$24.5 million in health care cuts.
•$17.2 million in 10% salary cuts from all non-uniformed employees.
Estimated savings: $78.47 million.

Future money-saving measures
Among the items the mayor says he must ensure during the next year:

Anytime I hear of a city laying off "nonessential" personnel leads me to wonder why they were hired in the first place.

So what do you think is likely to happen? Will the city sell itself off? Make changes in its spending habits such as cutting down on pork and bloated, inefficient social programs?

Of course not. They'll simply raise taxes. If that doesn't work, then they'll simply pass a tax hike masqueraded as a bond to "save our schools and save our children" that the people will cheerfully pass without batting an eye.

Then they'll go back to whining about taxes. But they'll still keep re-electing the people that got the city in that mess in the first place and they'll keep approving bond after bond and ask no questions.

At least that's what they've been doing here in CA for the last 15 years.

Every time I go home I have to hear about this. When Kwame was elected four or however many years ago I just knew something like this would happen. The guy's a crank. "Hip-Hop" likes to go on junkets, frequent the best nightclubs in any city, dress expensive, drive expensive, and dine expensive. Lets not forget, that high lifestyle goes on his city-owned credit card. I absolutely love it when Channel 7's Steve Wilson corners him with real questions and the guy gets his bodyguards to physically assault the reporter. Its amateur hour in the mayors office.

Lets talk about the mayors other fine accomplishments:

-- Hiring Christine Beatty
-- Firing a boatload of police and fire officials
-- Threatening to do so before the International Freedom Festival Fireworks.
-- Firing all those cops and then deciding to buy a 700,000 dollar "urban assault vehicle".
-- Renovating the Book-Cadillac (yeah RIGHT)
-- Renovating Michigan Central Station (yeah RIGHT)

Now that Maryann Mahaffey is leaving I have no idea what will happen down there. I personally think Freman Hendrix is a better choice, but how much better?

Detroit started dying 40 years ago after the riots there. It's slow death has be aggrevated by 'white flight' not only of the middle class but of the automobile related businesses and factories to outside the city, and in later years, to other countries. There really isn't much left of the city but for some regional government and some remaining industry. I think anyone who would want to be a mayor of such a city needs their head examined, unless they plan to be like too many politicans and just be on a power trip or steal money.

They could always do some sort of sponsorship program Something like The Ford Motor Company City of Detroit. Or even better, Detroit: A Subsidiary of Northwest Airlines. And if all else fails, sell the naming rights to a movie company so you have Dreamworks presents Detroit. Of course, that would make the Red Wings the Ford Motor Company City of Detroit Red Wings. But oh well, it works for the arenas!

Many in the African American community say, "Freeman is not Black enough".

This they say because he is the product of an Austrian mother and an African-American father.

I hate to inject race into the issue, but race is the issue here. Mayor Kilpatrick was elected because the fact that he was young, charismatic, hip to the urban youth, and he was black. He was a city counselman with less than a stellar record in his district. And since he's become mayor, the cities finances have spiraled out of control. I think that he is trying to focus the cities resources on improving the poor areas, but he doing in the wrong way. He's squandering money and focusing on one demographic. The focus needs to be on the City of Detroit. He has done some good things. The plans of revitalising the downtown area look very attractive,but are going to cost the city money.

Quoting FlyingTexan (Reply 7):And what about the city leased Lincoln Navigator for Kwame's wife? The one he lied about? Oh well, that is not even a dent in $187 Million.

And the 25 bodyguards that he employed. How many bodyguards does this guy need. I saw him walking through the Midfield Terminal, he was with an army of big lads. These guys were shouting at people, telling to them to "clear a path". It was very unnecessary.

$79.34 for three porcelain figurines, called Daddy's Angel Babies, purchased in 2002 by the mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, who is not a city employee. A receipt the Free Press obtained reads, "Bill to mayor's office."

Daddy's Angel Babies. WTF?

This guy’s administration reeks of crookedness. Specifically, I call it theft. Looting of the city’s treasury.